Wednesday, July 31, 2013

British Paratroop vs Fallschirmjäger: Mediterranean 1942-43, David Greentree.

British Paratroop vs Fallschirmjäger: Mediterranean 1942-43, David Greentree.

Focuses on three direct clashes between British and German paratroops in North Africa and Sicily, a period when the Germans were already battle hardened while their British opponents were learning their craft. Combines a brief history of both forces with more detailed examinations of the three clashes and an examination of the lessons both sides learnt from them.
[read full review]

Anti-Tank: The Story of a Desert Gunner in the Second World War, Mark Carter.

Anti-Tank: The Story of a Desert Gunner in the Second World War, Mark Carter.

The real life adventures of the commander of a 25pdr gun crew in North Africa, through the period of rapid advances and retreats and on to the final Allied advance after El Alamein. Focuses on the more dramatic episodes of Carter's career, producing an exciting account of his life during the ever-changing desert war.
[read full review]

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Panzerjager 38(t) fur 7.5cm PAK 40 ausf H (SdKfz 138)

The Panzerjager 38(t) fur 7.5cm PAK 40 ausf H (SdKfz 138) was the second version of the Marder III tank hunter and the first to be armed with a German gun.

Panzerjager 38(t) fur 7.62cm PAK 36(t)

The Panzerjager 38(t) fur 7.62cm PAK 36(t) was the first of three variants of the Marder III and was an anti-tank vehicle produced by mounting captured Soviet guns on the chassis of the Panzerkampfwagen 38(t). 

Monday, July 29, 2013

Nakajima B4N Experimental 9-Shi Carrier Attack Aircraft

The Nakajima B4N Experimental 9-Shi Carrier Attack Aircraft was an unsuccessful Nakajima entry in a 1934 carrier bomber contest.

Nakajima C3N

The Nakajima C3N was a design for a carrier based reconnaissance aircraft that reached the prototype stage but that was superseded by another Nakajima design, the B5N 'Kate'.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Images of War: Panzer IV at War 1939-1945, Paul Thomas.

Images of War: Panzer IV at War 1939-1945, Paul Thomas.

A super collection of photos of the Panzer IV and related vehicles, tracing its evolution from the infantry support tank of 1939, to the king of the mid-war battlefield and on its use as the basis of a large number of related vehicles towards the end of the war. Lot of good pictures from different angles make this a useful book for the modeller.
 [read full review]

The Rice Paddy Navy, US Sailors Undercover in China, Linda Kush.

The Rice Paddy Navy, US Sailors Undercover in China, Linda Kush.

The story of a US Navy weather reporting service that expanded into a major military force in China, training guerrillas, running an intelligence network, and also managing to report on the weather in China, a key factor in forecasting the weather over the Pacific theatre.
[read full review]

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Nakajima Ki-4 Army Type 94 Reconnaissance Aircraft

The Nakajima Ki-4 Army Type 94 Reconnaissance Aircraft was a multi-purpose Army support biplane that was the first aircraft to be designed by a private firm but with direct Army involvement in the design process.

Nakajima Type 91 Fighter

The Nakajima Type 91 Fighter was a parasol wing monoplane that served as the main fighter aircraft for the Japanese army after its introduction in 1932.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

TNH n.A. or Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) neuer Art (new model)

The TNH n.A. or Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) neuer Art (new model) was a reconnaissance tank based on the PzKpfw 38(t) that was produced in 1942 for German trials but that didn’t enter production.

Panzerkampfwagen 38(t)

The Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) began life as the Czech LT-38 light tank, but the vast majority of them were produced after the German takeover of Czechoslovakia and they were an important element in the German armoured forces during the invasion of France, the brief campaign in Greece and the early part of the invasion of the Soviet Union.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Flakpanzer 38(t) ausf M (SdKfz 140)

The Flakpanzer 38(t) ausf M (SdKfz 140) was a stop-gap anti-aircraft vehicle produced by mounting a single 20mm cannon on the chassis of Panzer 38(t) tank.

Panzerkampfwagen 35(t)

The Panzerkampfwagen 35(t) began life as the Czechoslovak LT-35, but was taken over by the German army and was used with some success in Poland and France, before being phased out in the face of superior Soviet armour during 1942.

Monday, July 22, 2013

invasion of Puruata Island (1-2 November 1943)

The invasion of Puruata Island (1-2 November 1943) took place on the same day as the main Allied invasion of nearby Bougainville and saw a force of Marine raiders capture this small island close to the main American beachhead.

Koiari Raid (29 November 1943)

The Koiari Raid (29 November 1943) was an unsuccessful attempt by the US Marines on Bougainville to interrupt a possible Japanese supply line to the south of the American beachhead on Empress Augusta Bay.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Huan T'ai

The Huan T'ai was the third of a series of light cruisers built in China for the Chinese Nanyang fleet, and remained in service for fifteen years before lost in a collision with the liner Empress of India.

Ching Ch'ing

The Ching Ch'ing was one of five fast un-armoured cruisers built for the Chinese Nanyang fleet, based at Shanghai.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

No.21 Fighter Squadron, RNZAF

No.21 Fighter Squadron, RNZAF, took part in the long campaign against Rabaul, both from bases on Bougainville and Green Island and supported the Australian offensive on Bougainville.

No.20 Fighter Squadron, RNZAF

No.20 Fighter Squadron, RNZAF, spent two spells on Bougainville, where it supported the fighting on the ground and took part in the campaign against Rabaul. It also took part in the campaign against Rabaul during a short spell on Green Island during 1944 and a longer spell based on New New Britain in 1945

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The Peninsular War: Wellington's Battlefields Revisited, Ian Fletcher.

The Peninsular War: Wellington's Battlefields Revisited, Ian Fletcher.

A collection of beautifully taken colour photographs showing key elements of the British battlegrounds of the Peninsular War, from the early battles in Portugal, through Spain to the invasion of France. Gives a clear idea of the sort of landscapes faced by Wellington and his opponents and acts as useful supplement to any general history of the war.
[read full review]

Bronze Age Military Equipment, Dan Howard.

Bronze Age Military Equipment, Dan Howard.

A detailed survey of Bronze Age weapons, armour and shields, focusing mainly on the rare survivals and the textual evidence to try and reproduce the military equipment of the Near East, Middle East and eastern Mediterranean. A very valuable summary of the current state of knowledge on this early period in military history.
 [read full review]

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Blackbeard's Last Fight, Pirate Hunting in North Carolina 1718, Angus Konstam.

Blackbeard's Last Fight, Pirate Hunting in North Carolina 1718, Angus Konstam.

A look at one of the smallest famous naval battles, when Blackbeard and around twenty five pirates were attacked and defeated by sixty Royal Navy men on two unarmed ships, a battle that was seen as the marking the end of the 'Golden Age' of piracy. An interesting look at a well planned and well executed anti piracy raid.
[read full review]

Operation Enduring Freedom: America's Afghan War 2001 to 2002, Tim Ripley.

Operation Enduring Freedom: America's Afghan War 2001 to 2002, Tim Ripley.

A well balanced account of the American campaign to topple the Taliban and disrupt or destroy Al Qaeda, with interesting sections on the pre-war Taliban, the CIA's early involvement in Afghanistan, the uneven progress of the short war and the controversial aftermath of the removal of the Taliban from power.
[read full review]

Monday, July 15, 2013

Doflug D-3803

The Doflug D-3803 was the final member of the Morane-Saulnier M.S.405/ M.S.406 family, and was an improved version of the D-3802 developed by Dornier in Switzerland.

Doflug D-3802/ Morane-Saulnier M.S.540

The Doflug D-3802/ Morane-Saulnier M.S.540 was developed in Switzerland from the M.S.450 and was basically an improved version of the M.S.406.

Friday, July 05, 2013

A Reluctant Hero: The Life and Times of Robert Ryder VC, Richard Hopton.

A Reluctant Hero: The Life and Times of Robert Ryder VC, Richard Hopton.

A biography of the naval commander at the St Nazairre raid, who after a pre-war career dominated by sailing ships (he sailed home from China in a yacht built for the task and was the naval commander on the British Graham Land Expedition), he had a fairly distinguished wartime career, which included the raid on St. Nazairre, Dieppe and the D-Day Landings.
[read full review]

The Silent Service in World War II, ed. Edward Monroe-Jones and Michael Green.

The Silent Service in World War II, ed. Edward Monroe-Jones and Michael Green.

 A collection of first-hand accounts of life in American submarines in the Pacific during the Second World War, from the early days in a handful of out-of-date subs to the eventual dominance of the fleet submarines and the destruction of much of the Japanese merchant marine.
[read full review]

Thursday, July 04, 2013

Mitsubishi Experimental Short Range Reconnaissance Aircraft (2MR7)

The Mitsubishi Experimental Short Range Reconnaissance Aircraft (2MR7) was a private venture design produced just before the more successful 2MR8, which entered service as the Army Type 92 Reconnaissance Aircraft.

Mitsubishi Experimental 8-Shi Two-seat Fighter (Ka-8)

The Mitsubishi Experimental 8-Shi Two-seat Fighter (Ka-8) was produced in response to work on two-seat fighters in Europe and the United States, but was abandoned after the second prototype disintegrated in the air.

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Operation Cherryblossom, the invasion of Bougainville (1 November 1943-March 1944)

Operation Cherryblossom, the invasion of Bougainville (1 November 1943-March 1944) was the last major operation during the Solomon Islands campaign and saw the Americans occupy a secure bridgehead on an Island that the Japanese had decided to make a bastion of their defensive line.

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Kai Che

The Kai Che was the first of five fast cruisers built for the Chinese Nanyang fleet during the 1880s. All five were un-armoured cruisers of composite construction that were obsolete by the time they were completed.

Tsi Yuen

The Tsi Yuen was a protected cruiser that served with the Chinese navy until 1895 before being taken over by the Japanese.

Monday, July 01, 2013

No.19 Fighter Squadron, RNZAF

No.19 Fighter Squadron, RNZAF, took part in the battle against the Japanese counterattack on Bougainville in March 1944, the campaigns to neutralise Kavieng and Rabaul and helped provide air cover at Los Negros, the most westerly base used by the RNZAF in the Pacific.

No.18 Fighter Squadron, RNZAF

No.18 Fighter Squadron, RNZAF, took part in the invasions of the Treasury Islands and Bougainville in 1943, and spent much of 1944 and 1945 supporting the American and Australian campaigns on that island. It also spent some time on Green Island, taking part in the long campaign against Rabaul.